The Ornamented Being
Ornamented: -verb: Adorn; beautify
Be·ing: -noun: Fulfillment of possibilities; essential completeness
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Another behind the scenes shot from my new series “Adventures in Historic Headwear: 16th century Hot or Not?”
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The Tudor Tailor photo shoot is officially a wrap!
Head over to the TT Facebook for a few other photos from the shoot!
I can’t put into words the feeling of seeing all our hard work finally come together. Looking back I have to say that all of those late nights spent with tea, period films, and thimbles at the ready were worth it. (Thank you to Colin Firth for getting us through the last night!)
… I just noticed how low my jumper is in the first picture and I assure you I had a dress on under my jumper!
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My self-directed project was to re-create the Ruff worn by Baby John Dunch’s nurse Elizabeth Field from 1586-1588.
8 yards of fabric later here is my humble creation.
There are a few things I wish I had done better in the photo BUT considering these were taken while packing the costumes up to take to the Tower, I’m pleased with them. I wish I had a high collar so I could have properly tucked the ruff in and gotten the full plate effect but c’est la vie! We had a schedule to keep!
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http://www.threadsoffeeling.com/
This is such a moving presentation. Each tiny wisp of fabric represents a baby left at The Foundling House In London. As the slideshow progresses, you become lost in the swatches of fabric and the thoughts of each baby that wore them. Their mothers or families left them with a piece of fabric to identify them, sometimes to be reclaimed but often times not.“When mothers left babies at London’s Foundling Hospital in the mid-eighteenth century, the Hospital often retained a small token as a means of identification, usually a piece of fabric. These swatches of fabric now form Britain’s largest collection of everyday textiles from the eighteenth century. They include the whole range of fabrics worn by ordinary women, along with ribbons, embroidery and even some baby clothes. Beautiful and poignant, each scrap of material reflects the life of an infant child and that of its absent parent. The enthralling stories the fabrics tell about textiles, fashion, women’s skills, infant clothing and maternal emotion are the material of Threads of Feeling.”
Burnley and Trowbridge sells this wonderful book at their online storehttp://www.burnleyandtrowbridge.com/threadsoffeelingthelondonfoundlinghospitalstextiletokens1740-1770.aspx -
Fear not followers, I’m not dead! I am currently interning with The Tudor Tailor. Between working on all the super top secret items for the upcoming book and raiding a particularly beautiful costume library, I’ve been a little too busy to keep up with my blog!
I promise that once life gets back to a semblance of normality I will keep up with my normal schedule (That is until June when I start my summer internship with Colonial Williamsburg and I’m pretty sure that will happily take up most of my time!).
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I spent the last week being taught to scale Janet Arnold’s patterns by those who knew her best. I was taught how to look at a tiny flat drawing, to draft, and then re-create the red Kyoto stays by the great master himself. We ended the week by drafting and re-creating Queen Elizabeth’s effigy panniers.
I can’t even begin to express how much of a privilege it has been to be taught by Luca Costigliolo ( the man behind The Borgias etc.) and I can promise that whenever I take a stitch I forever remember “Precise! Precise!”
It took me two hours of fighting London rush hour to get to class every day and then two hours of fighting rush hour again to get back. By the time I walked in the door my bed was a siren’s call. I haven’t kept up with my email, facebook, or The Mended Soul. I will try to be better about posting this week but I make no promises!
This week will be a bit busy because I am leaving for Southampton on Friday for the Titanic Memorial Cruise. Lizzy and I will be giving two small presentations on 1912 fashion on Saturday so if you are there, drop by and say hello, you can’t miss us! We will be traveling in full costume from London to Southampton. The entire weekend will be spent in 1912 clothing!
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Thanks to everyone for your kindness and your encouragement during the Your Wardrobe Unlock’d Competition. In the individual category competition I have made it through to the final round and I should know something after Friday when the voting closes! Everyone has been so kind and supportive and each and everyone of you have been greatly appreciated! Wish me luck!
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I have finally succumbed to peer pressure and created my own virtual atelier so that I can share my work with you.
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The most wonderful thing happened to me coming home. I am doing a private research project for my internship on nobility in Austria which needs to be completed by next week. I checked out a book about Silk Fabrics in Italian and Northern Paintings but because it was so heavy I decided to just carry it in my arms.
The trains are currently a mess because of the weather coming and it didn’t help that I boarded my train during rush hour, it was so packed you couldn’t even move! I somehow managed to get a seat but I offered it to the little girl next to me standing with her mom and when she declined I made myself comfortable.
The little girl had to be around seven. She was a quiet little thing but I smiled at her and she complemented me on my furry hat. I laughed and let her touch the pom poms on it. She then quietly pointed at the cover of my book and remarked at how pretty the woman was. Then she asked what my book was about. I think I shocked every single person around me when I opened the book and started showing her what it was about.
I started off with the early Renaissance but she knew the most about Henry VIII so I turned to that section. To my delight she knew who everyone was without having to look at the captions. While she told me about the people in the paintings I told her about what they were wearing. I explained what blackwork was and she even picked it out in another painting. Their stop came and when they left the train all I heard was the little girl talking about buying the book.
After she got off the train I looked up and saw that most of the people at the end of my carriage were looking at me and it was silent. I tried to recall what was going on while I was talking to the little girl but all I remember was the quiet. During rush hour traffic in London I had somehow managed to silence a train.
A man standing nodded at me before putting his earbuds back in and two men had turned around in their seats to watch what I was doing. I even remember looking up at one point and angling my book so that the man standing who had just nodded at me could see over the mothers shoulder.
Our responsibility is to nurture the future, to inspire and to educate them. When she turned around to wave at me I suddenly wanted to cry. I recognized that spark of interest in her eyes because it’s the one I carry with me everyday.
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I’ve been getting quite a few questions lately about what patterns and books I use, particularly about the Tudor era. Instead of replying to them all privately I thought I would go ahead and share with everyone because it’s pretty amazing.
Obviously Janet Arnold, Nora Waugh, and Jean Hunnisett are the go to people in the costume world but right now the new Prior Attire series is becoming my go to for more thorough instructions regarding construction.
My latest obsession is the Tudor period and so like a good costumer I started to search around to see what I could find to assist me in re-creating a 16th century Kirtle. I stumbled over this while searching on Amazon and I was completely shocked to see the price (click me). A costuming guide for £2.95 ($4.50usd) <—- For a broke university student that is the most beautiful thing I have ever come across on Amazon.
I downloaded it to my iphone and after a quick look I had to share my find with you guys. It’s too amazing to not share! The wonderful thing about this guide is that it’s very straightforward, easy to understand, and even easier to follow. If you’ve ever tried to figure out Janet Arnold or Norah Waugh’s pattern (which can leave even a seasoned pro scratching their head in confusion) you can understand why this direct approach is so very welcomed.
When I’m starting a project I like to try to research everything before I start. I can find and draft my own patterns easy enough but when it comes to the directions I confess to some confusion. I’m a more visual person and while I can follow written instructions, I can follow written instructions WITH pictures much easier.
After a quick google I found out the guides were written by an amazing costumer named Izabela Pitcher. She runs a costume house called Prior Attire and if you have a facebook I would recommend checking the group out (here). I spent a good hour going over her albums.
(if you are in the States and you get the pesky “You have to be in the UK to download this.” sign just head over to the UK website.)
I hope I made your life a bit easier! This has certainly made mine easier ;} If you have questions on patterns or books please don’t hesitate to ask me. I own just about all the costuming books I can get my hands on! If you would like me to review a pattern or even a book I would love to help as I know the books can get a little confusing sometimes!
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Dress, Evening Mme. Jeanne Paquin 1905–7
c. 1905-07
The Met says: Produced several years prior to the 1908 Hellenic designs of Paul Poiret, the raised waist and decorative references to Greek antiquity indicate this classical aesthetic and change of silhouette were in the air from 1905 on. As the leading house of couture druing the Belle Epoque, Paquin’s promotion of this line would have been widely known to the public. The dress also incorporates signature decorative techniques such as velvet piping outlining peach satin ribbon at neckline and waist and the contrasting tones and reflections of silver, satin and velvet
